This autumn six leading EU scholars visit the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) to discuss their perspectives on today’s political contestation in the European Union. Recent EU debates have been dominated by discussions about the new reform treaty and the issue of further enlargement. However, a look beyond these debates reveal new and unexplored lines of EU contestation, which transgress previous divides. Whereas EU attitudes traditionally have been understood in terms of the left-right cleavage or simply a matter of wanting more or less political union, cross-cutting issues such as environmental policy, energy, immigration and religion have emerged and are forming new dividing lines. The DIIS lecture series takes its point of departure in the investigation of these new patterns.
 
13 September 2007 at 13.30 in Nordskov
Why Memory Matters to Current EU Debates
Catherine Guisan, Lecturer, University of Minnesota
 
19 September 2007 at 11.00 in the Auditorium
Political Contestation in the Referendums
on the European Constitution
Sara Binzer Hobolt, Lecturer, University of Oxford
 
25 September 2007 at 13.30 in Nordskov
What Characterises Today’s EU Debates?
Ben Rosamond, Professor, University of Warwick
 
12 October 2007 at 13.30 in Nordskov
New Dimensions of Contestation
in the European Parliament
Tapio Raunio, Professor, University of Tampere
 
24 October 2007 at 13.30 in Nordskov
Scandinavia and the EU in 2007
- Still Exceptional?
Peter Lawler, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester
 
30 October 2007 at 13.30 in the Auditorium
The EU Commission and New Political Contestation
Thomas Christiansen, Professor, European Institute
of Public Administration
 

Practical Information

The lectures are either held at Nordskov, Wilders Plads 8H, 3rd floor, 1401 Copenhagen K, or the Auditorium, Strandgade 71, 1401 Copenhagen K. The duration of each lecture will be approximately 45 minutes followed by a 15 minutes break and concluding with 45 minutes debate. Refreshment will be served. The dates may be subject to change.

For more information and registration, please see the events section on http://www.diis.dk/sw247.asp  where each lecture will be announced separately.